Heartsong of a Lonely Penguin
by AuraBlackWolf
Summary: Stiles's had always hoped to find that one special penguin, the one that made his heart sing with love. He just didn't expect it to be Derek, the broody looking penguin whose song he fell in love with and who had fallen just as hard for Stiles.


I'm so so sorry, I have no excuses.

Not Beta-ed

Stiles was small for a penguin and no one could decide if that was the reason why he was one of the loudest.

"Do you think Allison will like my song?" Scott, Stiles's best friend since egghood asked enviously as he stared at all the other males squawking around them. To be truthful it wasn't a pleasant thing, having to listen to everyone practice their songs at the same time, sure individually it was nice, some of the males had some pretty hard core wooing music going on, but listening to them all at the same time…not so special.

It sounded like a sea lion's matting call, which- eww. Never again.

Stiles wasn't that kind of penguin, no matter what Jackson liked to insinuate, Jackass.

Stiles lifted his flipper to smack his best friend over his head. Scott had asked him the same question at least ten times today and that's not counting the many days beforehand that the same question had been asked repeatedly. It was like Scott was afraid the answer would be different somehow or that Stiles was lying to him and would tell him the honest truth if he repeated himself enough.

"Dude, I've told you a hundred times! Allison loves you, you've both been pinning after each other since before we even graduated. Seriously tonight's your night, my friend. The night of the courting where you make your attentions known to your affections. Allison won't be listening to any other song other then yours and you know this!"

Scott's smile was doppy looking as he stared into the horizon. Stiles took a moment to look at his best friend, Scott was rather large for a penguin, or at least their species of penguin. Easily bigger then Stiles but his attitude was as soft as a jellyfish. It was a funny contraction and one of the reasons why Stiles loved the huge ball of fluff for.

"So are you going to sing to Lydia then?" Scott asked and Stiles raised an impressed eyebrow, his friend was actually asking him a question that didn't have anything to do with his future girlfriend and mate. Impressive.

"Well…I'd like too but you know that Jackson's been making boosts that he'd be singing to her tonight and I'm not sure how to compete with that, Jackson was the star of our year after Lydia after all." Stiles sighed wistfully. He'd been in love with the rather feisty female since they were babes but Lydia hadn't wanted anything to do with him since that one time he'd tried singing to her when they had first gone to class together and since they hadn't really been taught how to reach their heart songs yet at that point the song had been… well, not his best, if he wanted to put it politely.

Scott had gone back to daydreaming about Allison at this point and Stiles didn't have the energy to get mad at his friend for asking a question and then ignoring the answer. He just walked away, deciding that he'd see Scott at the cove later where the rest of the newly adults would be gathering and trying to find prospecting mates.

Stiles knew his dad was hoping he'd find someone tonight, not just cause it was an important event in his life but because he knew how wonderful it was to find a mate, his own mate-Stiles's mom, was a kind and gentle penguin and he just wanted his son to experience the same love and affection he'd felt when he had first met her for the first time at the graduating mate night.

His mother just laughed and told him that he'd find his heart match when his heart was good and ready and that she couldn't wait to meet them when they swept her baby off his feet.

Stiles made his way to his favorite hideout, a place he had found as a small hatchling and liked to go to whenever he needed to think in solace. Tonight it wasn't just his graduating class that would be at the cove, there was too other classes from other pods of penguins from other parts of the ice that would be coming, which meant new faces, also some older penguins would be coming as well, ones who hadn't yet found their true love at the own graduation and had to wait years for the next batch of graduates to find someone. Stiles really hoped that didn't happen to him, he felt sympathy for those who had to wait years for their heartsong to be matched and he knew what those his own age thought about them, that they couldn't find anyone the first time around because no one wanted them. It wasn't fair but that's what the young liked to say.

Stiles had recently begun to think that he didn't need Lydia to find true love and even if he had cared about her for years he started to feel like he was truly growing up a bit and moving on from her. To find someone who would really and truly love him, like how his parents loved each other, even if his songs weren't the best out there.

He seated himself in the carved out cavern that he liked to call his own, it was more of a dug out really but it opened to a open space where a large cliff and was the best place to watch the greatest sunsets. He started to sing a little diddy that was resounding in his heart. Begging to be let out and since he was alone he didn't feel so bad about anyone commenting on it.

He sang softly, hoping his words somehow would reach out to the penguin that would hopefully admire his heart and who he could adore in return. Letting his voice carry along the wind, he sang.

I wonder- I wonder, I wonder why each bird little bird has a someone, to sing to, sweet things too, a gay little lark melody…

I wonder- I wonder, if my heart keeps singing, will my song go ringing, to someone who'd find me and bring back a love song to me.

Stiles sighed the last few notes, letting his head drop on his chest and stared down at the extra fluffiness of his chest, every other penguin in his class were already matured fully into their slick black and white fur but Stiles chest was still mostly white with gray and black spots dotting around. He was just as old as them and just as mature but it seemed that his body didn't care that it was taking it's time to lose the baby fur.

Suddenly a shiver overtook him, Stiles looked up, knowing that he wasn't alone as he thought he was at the movement.

Sure enough, there was a large, surely just as large as Scott if not more, penguin standing not five feet away from him, half hidden behind a large piece of ice.

Piercing red eyes started at him from below thick black eyebrows.

Stiles honked out in shock and fell backwards, his back impacting rough against the hard ice shelf of his cavern. He honked out again, this time in pain.

Before he knew it he felt someone take a hold of him, gentle flippers ran across his body, comforting while also looking for any injures caused by his fall.

"I- I'm fine." Stiles gasped out, the shock that the strange penguin had given him was wearing off and he could feel the beginning of anger churn in his belly a the intrusion.

He pushed against the stranger and for a minute he was frightened when the stranger didn't move but a second later he was breathing easier when he finally got his space back.

Not that the penguin moved very far, he only moved far enough that Stiles didn't have to strain his neck too much to look up at him.

"How long were you standing there?" Stiles asked, his flippers flapping in front of him, demanding for the penguin to answer him promptly.

The large penguin started down at him, his expression giving nothing away. To be honest Stiles was feeling kind of frightened by the other, he was bigger and a stranger to Stiles and he had a presence that reeked of Alpha male, something that Stiles was defiantly not.

"I was here first actually. So you intruded on me." The male finally spoke and Stiles had to gap for a second both in stunned disbelief that the guy had the nerve to say that to Stiles- this was his secret spot!- and because his voice was…well frankly it was beautiful.

It was deep and had a quality melody to it that most penguins would kill to have.

And while Stiles could admit that to himself he wouldn't be Stiles if he didn't give the guy snark for saying that.

"Well excuse me but this cove here-" He gestured to the area around them, "Well this is mine, it had been mine for a long time so while you may have been here before me you are the one who is in fact intruding. How was I suppose to know someone else would be here when no one else other then me had been here? I don't know who you think you are, probably some kind of mutant penguin given the eyebrows of doom you got going there, but if you could scuttle off now I'd take that as an apology for entering my domain."

The penguin didn't even have the decently to look he was paying attention to Stiles rant, instead he kept staring at him, his eyes seem to engulf him and Stiles couldn't help the small shiver that coursed through his fur at the feeling of being at the total attention of this guy.

"That song- the one you just sung…" the penguin's demeanor became hesitant, almost shy now as he peered at Stiles through lowered brows. A reddish flush overcame his fur as his eyes gazed almost lovingly down at the smaller penguin.

Stiles didn't see any of this though, he was flustered at the very thought that the big male had heard him, and he wasn't taking it very well, becoming increasingly upset.

"Ah-! You heard that then, uh." Stiles looked everywhere but the penguin. "It was just some stupid song, I'm sorry if I interrupted your brooding or whatever you were doing. Umm…I'm just going to go now." Stiles stuttered out, his whole body was trembling in angst. Ever since that terrible song he'd song to Lydia all those years ago he hadn't let anyone other then his parents or Scott hear him sing, well his teacher had heard him of course because he'd wanted to graduate but other then that no one had heard him in years.

Stiles couldn't take the humiliation of having his little song jeered at so instead of noticing the increasingly flustered penguin in front of him who was trying to find the words to talk to him he ran off.

"-Wait! Please wait!" the penguin called after him but Stiles couldn't wait. He felt tears flowing down his cheeks and beak.

He didn't stop until he was back in his family's nest. His father was off doing something but his mother was there.

"Honey, what's wrong?" she cooed softly in worry as Stiles ran into her arms and laid there crying.

She just rocked him and shushed him gently, she didn't ask again what the matter was, only comforted him. He had the best mom in the whole ice continent and to the deep ocean to whoever argued with him.

Stiles hadn't stayed at the nest for much longer, after his crying had abated he'd told his mom that he'd just had a small break down because of what the night was bringing, he wasn't sure if she believed him but she didn't push him. Which was nice since technically he was an adult now and it was kind of embarrassing that he'd broke down like that just because some stranger had heard him sing, a song he only wanted one penguin to hear, his mate.

Instead Mr. Broad Brow had heard it, and while the penguin had a beautiful voice- and okay he'd been a looker as well, seriously got some hotness going on there- that didn't mean that Stiles was okay with him listening in on something private.

Well, it wasn't like Stiles was going to see him again, he was probably escorting another pod to the cove tonight or something, he was too handsome to be unattached and he was defiantly older so Stiles doubted he was there to participate in the songs tonight.

He found Scott before the sun had gone down and together they made their way to the cove, it looked like most had already arrived, finding the most choice spots to sing from. Scott and Stiles were both pushed into some small corner away from everyone.

"How am I suppose to sing to Allison if I can't even see her?!" Scott was panicking and a panicking Scott always led to a panicking Stiles. Something he really wanted to avoid tonight, he'd done enough of that earlier.

"Scott calm down, the sun has only just set; she might not even be here yet so there's no use panicking right now, save it for when some hotshot tries to senarde her away."

Scott sent him a heated glare but at least he wasn't panicking anymore so Stiles let it go.

Stiles looked around, males and females alike were flooding the whole area, it was going to be kind of a tight fit this year, although he knew that a lot of penguins already had a clue on who they wanted to sing too so that might make things go a bit quicker.

"It's time." Scott said softly as the whole valley floor drew to a hush. The moon was cresting the ocean now, and with it's rise the first of the songs began.

Scott left Stiles side without a glance back, completely devoted to finding Allison and sharing his heart song with her and hers to his.

Stiles really hoped that they matched, he knew that they had sung to each other before, everyone liked to sing to other people expect him it seemed, but only tonight were penguins allow to sing their truest heart song out loud in hopes of attracting the One.

Stiles stayed silent as he listen to the songs around them, just like this morning all the songs were cluttering up, making it hard to heard all the individual songs.

Instead of throwing himself into the crowd around him Stiles closed his eyes and strained his ears, he tried to find something in the crowd that reached into him, that would tickle his ears and insides.

Suddenly there was silence, a silence so still that Stiles couldn't help but raise his head and open his eyes.

Atop a shelf of ice stood Mr. Broody, his eyes were glaring down onto the mass below him, as if looking for someone but was unable to find.

And just as suddenly he began to sing. It was beautiful…and Stiles felt his whole body seize up as his heart began to beat in tune.

I know you- I walked with you once upon a dream, I know you, the gleam in your eyes so familiar a gleam, yet I know its true that visions are seldom all they seem.

But if I know you then I know what you'd do, you'll love me at once, the way you did once, upon a dream.

But if I know you then I know what you'll do, you'll love me at once-

Stiles didn't know how he'd done it but somehow he'd manage to push himself closer, while also not crowding around everyone else.

He could feel his heart beat and he just knew…he knew he could sing this song alongside this magnificent, if still slightly scary penguin.

Before another verse could begin Stiles raised his head high and started to sing along, his voice rose high in the air since everyone else had shut up to listen to that magnificent voice.

The way you did once, upon a dream…

The alpha stared down at him; it was silent for maybe half a second before Stiles and the still unnamed Alpha sang in harmony, their voices blending perfectly and complementing them.

I know you- I walked with you once, upon a dream, I know you, the gleam your eyes is so familiar a gleam, and I know its true that visions are seldom all they seem but if I know you, I'll know what you do, you'll love me at once, the way you did once, upon a dream…

Stiles face was red but he couldn't stop the goofy smile as he stared up at the soft red eyes glowing down at him. He can't believe that he'd done that…usually you wait until someone was done singing their song before you started your own, or waited till a pause to start your own in hopes in attracting someone. Never had he heard about someone singing the same song alongside each other.

Stiles finally became aware of the many, many eyes on him and flushed again, this time in embarrassment; he quickly ducked down his head and shuffled his feet, hoping to go back in his corner so he could combust in mortification in peace.

"No way, there is no way that _Stiles_ can actually sing like that, whose singing for you runt?"

-Aaand of course Jackass has to make an appearance and ruin everything.

Stiles clipped his beak irately at Jackson, another large penguin- seriously was everyone around him a giant or was he really that unnaturally short?- although he was gratified to notice that Lydia wasn't with him, hopefully she'd found someone else to sing with, maybe even someone who wasn't in the tribe, anyone at this point was better then Jackson.

Before Stiles could say anything to him, or try to sulk away quickly a loud honk that more resembled a roar echoed really close to them.

Jackson slammed his beak shut, his eyes grew wide with fear as he stared over Stiles shoulder.

Stiles turned around and almost yelled in surprised, instead managing to swallow the yelp before it could escape. Standing right behind him was his heart mate, Mr. Grumpy.

"Would you care to repeat what you just said to my mate?" Mr. Tall, Black and Pretty asked, in a voice that was hardly more then a whisper yet gave off a feeling that you were being yelled at.

"Uh no, no- nope." Jackson stuttered before turning around and running away, managing to get lost in the crowd that had quickly made a large ring around them.

Stiles stared as the Alpha stared after Jackson, somehow still able to relay threats silently with his eyebrows and sultry eyes.

"Uh, hi?" Stiles said timidly and then squeaked when all that attention went back to him.

"Derek."

Stiles startled, "W-what?"

"My name's Derek." Suddenly all feelings of danger left and the Alpha- Derek, shuffled his feet and ruffled his chest feathers awkwardly, it was kind of adorable.

Stiles lost all sense of fear and let a small, shy smile creep along his face. He shuffled forward until he was standing right of Derek, almost close enough to share feet space.

"I'm Stiles, it's nice to meet you Derek." Stiles ducked his head slightly, "Properly, that is."

Derek chuckled, "I knew it was you." When Stiles looked at him questioningly he explained, "When I heard your song earlier, I knew that you were my mate, your voice, your song was beautiful." He smirked, "Just as beautiful as the rest of you."

Stiles honked, his whole body felt like the sun was under his skin, and while he felt some mortification at Derek's words the majority of him couldn't help but preen under the praise.

and gently grabbed Derek's flipper in a gentle grasp. "You song was beautiful as well. Magical even."

Now it was Derek's turn to turn bashful, "Thank you Stiles…I was hoping that you'd like it. Uh, actually I was hoping to hear you again, the song you were going to sing tonight actually. May I hear your voice?"

Stiles smiled, "Only if you promise to sing with me."

Derek's smile was filled with tender love as he stared into Stiles golden-brown eyes. "Always."

Stiles stared to sing gentle and even with the many voices that filled the air his voice rang the clearest.

Hmmm- So this is love, hmmm- so this is love…so this is what makes life divine, I'm all aglow-hmmmm- and now I know…

Derek's deep voice began to echo his words with him, their voices filled the air around them, once again containing an audience with awe, not that they noticed, having only eyes for each other.

And now I know, the key to our heaven is mine, my heart has wings, hmmm- and I can fly, I'll touch every star in the sky, so this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of…hmmmmm- hmmmm- so this is love….

THE END

Songs- I Wonder by Mary Costa, Sleeping Beauty

Once upon a Time by Mary Costa, Sleeping Beauty

So This is Love by Ilene Woods and Mike Douglas, Cinderella


End file.
